A giant thank you to everyone who entered, judged, attended and presented at the third annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards Breakfast on Thursday, April 17 at the Yale Club in NYC. A special thank you to Bonnie Bernstein, VP of Content & Brand Development and Host for Campus Insiders for co-hosting the program.
An additional thank you not only to all of our judges as well as our presenters: Rick Hendrick, founder of Hendrick Motorsports; NBA TV, CBS and Turner Sports analyst Greg Anthony; NBC Sports’ Premier League host Rebecca Lowe; 120 Sports host Michael Kim; Matt Yallof, co-host of MLB Network’s The Rundown; and FOX Sports’ Kenny Albert.
Also, we honored three executives who have changed the way their sports entities connect with fans around the country. Brian France, CEO & Chairman of NASCAR received the Vision Award as Sports Executive of the Year. Christina Miller, NBA Digital’s SVP & GM for Turner Sports received the Navigator Award as the Sports Network Executive of the Year, and Mark Lazarus, Chairman of the NBC Sports Group received this year’s Legacy Award.
The awards honored outstanding work in the sports media industry over the past year and had categories that included television series, radio and live events as well as digital and marketing campaigns.
Thank You to Our 2014 Sponsor
2014 Winners & Honorable Mentions List
B2B Program
Winner: NASCAR – NASCAR Fuel for Business
Honorable Mentions:
Bloomberg Sports LLC – Bloomberg Sports
Ogilvy & CDW – Winning on the Road
Brand Activation at Live Events
Winner: MELT – Coke Zero Section Zero
Honorable Mentions:
A&E Network – Duck Dynasty at the Daytona 500
Big Ten Network (BTN) – BTN Big 10K
Havas Media – Sears Shooting Stars
NASCAR – NASCAR After The Lap Sponsored by Ford and Coca-Cola
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football Bus
NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
The Coca-Cola Company – Coca-Cola North America 2014 NCAA Final Four Activation
Brand Extensions/Licensing
Winner: ESPN: College Football Consumer Products – ESPN College Football Licensing Program
Honorable Mentions:
NASCAR – Touch by Alyssa Milano
NBC Sports Agency – 2013 Stanley Cupcakes
Digital Executive
Winner: FOX Sports – Pete Vlastelica
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – John Kosner
NBC Sports Group – Rick Cordella
Network A / Bedrocket – Brian Bedol
Pac-12 Networks – David Aufhauser
PlayOn! Sports – David Rudolph
USA TODAY Sports Media Group – Dave Morgan
Documentary Series
Winner: MLB Productions & FOX Sports – Being: Mariano
Winner: Universal Sports Network – Rugby Rising
Honorable Mentions:
Big Ten Network (BTN) – The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2013
FOX Sports – BEING: Mike Tyson
FOX Sports – BEING: The Finest
Pac-12 Networks – The Drive: Pac-12 Football
Documentary Special
Winner: ESPN – Carry On
Honorable Mentions:
Big Ten Network (BTN) – Tiebreaker
CBS Sports – LT: The Life & Times
ESPN – The Lady Jags: Losing to Win
NBC Sports Group – Costas Tonight – “No Day For Games: The Cowboys and JFK”
NBC Sports Group/St. Sophia Productions – The Good Son, The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini
Turner Sports – The Blind Sisters
Fantasy game
Winner: MLB Advanced Media – MLB.com Beat The Streak
Honorable Mentions:
CBSSports.com – CBSSports.com Fantasy Football
ESPN – ESPN Fantasy Football
Golf Channel – Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge
NFL Media – NFL.com Fantasy
Turner Sports – NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge
Integrated Campaign for Brands
Winner: OMD – State Farm (NBA) & State Farm (NFL)
Honorable Mentions:
Anheuser-Busch – Bud Light Celebrates NFL Superstitions with Fan-Centric Campaign
Atlanta Falcons – Atlanta Falcons Rise Up
Campbell Soup Company – Campbell’s Chunky 2013-14 Mama’s Boy Campaign
FedEx – FedEx Golf Club Shipping – The Ultimate Caddy
Ogilvy & CDW – Winning on the Road
Weber Shandwick with Milk Processor Education Program – Chocolate Milk: From the Grid Iron to IRONMAN
Integrated Campaign for Networks
Winner: NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
Honorable Mentions:
Big Ten Network (BTN) – BTN2Go Mini-Mascots
Big Ten Network (BTN) – TIEBREAKER: Cast Your Vote
Comcast Cable – 2013 NFL Honors Awards Show Partnership
ESPN – Basketball Capitals presented by Turkish Airlines
NBC Sports Agency – Premier League 2013
Perry Ellis International, Inc. – PGA TOUR Apparel “Win a Day with Jason Dufner” Campaign
Live Coverage of Sporting Event (National)
Winner: Turner Sports – 2013 NBA Playoffs
Honorable Mentions:
CBS Sports – The Masters
Discovery Channel – Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda
FOX Sports – World Series Game 6 on FOX
IMG Productions – 2013 ING New York City Marathon
NBC Sports Group – Sunday Night Football – Peyton Manning’s Return to Indy
Telemundo Media – Rumbo al Mundial: Costa Rica vs. Mexico (aired on October 15, 2013)
Live Coverage of Sporting Event (Regional/Local)
Winner: IMG Productions – 2013 ING New York City Marathon
Honorable Mentions:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Hockey Night In Canada Stanley Cup Final – Game 6
FOX Sports South – Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs (April 6, 2013)
FOX Sports South – SEC College Football “Kentucky @ South Carolina” – 10/5/2013
YES Network – Mariano Rivera’s Last Game at Yankee Stadium
Live Stream Presentation
Winner: CBSSports.com – Super Bowl on CBSSports.com
Honorable Mentions:
AT&T – AT&T U-verse 2013 Interactive Masters Application
MLB Advanced Media – MLB.TV
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Live Extra – Sunday Night Football: Peyton Manning’s Return to Indy
Turner Sports – 2013 NCAA March Madness Live
Turner Sports – PGA Championship LIVE
Univision Deportes – 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS – New Zealand vs. Mexico
Marketer
Winner: The Coca-Cola Company – Sharon Byers
Honorable Mentions:
CSE – Adam Zimmerman
NBC Sports Group – John Miller
NFL – Mark Waller
NHL – Brian Jennings
Marketing Campaign for Brands
Winner: FedEx – FedEx Golf Club Shipping – The Ultimate Caddy
Honorable Mentions:
Ogilvy & CDW – Winning on the Road
Orion Entertainment – RAM Trucks Drive to the Outdoors
Packaged Sports & Entertainment – EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL 25 GMC TEST DRIVE
Packaged Sports & Entertainment – EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 Pepsi Max /Madden Legends Sweepstakes
The Coca-Cola Company – Coke Zero 2014 ESPN College GameDay Program
US Olympic Committee – US Olympic Committee’s Road To Sochi Tour
Marketing Campaign for Networks
Winner: NBC Sports Agency – 2013 Formula 1
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN Creative Works – Cheez-It “AmaZingZ Fan Zone”
NBC Sports Agency – 2013 Wednesday Night Rivalry
NBC Sports Agency – Sochi Winter Olympics
NBCUniversal – Barclays Premier League Affiliate Marketing Launch and Continuity Campaign
NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
Turner Sports – 2013 NCAA March Madness Live
Marketing Initiative
Winner: Big Ten Network (BTN) – BTN2Go Mini-Mascots
Honorable Mentions:
FOX Deportes – Almost Human UFC
FOX Deportes – Sleepy Hollow Champions League
NBC Sports Agency – An American Coach in London
NBC Sports Group – Stanley Cup Cupcakes
Mobile App – Live Streaming
Winner: Turner Sports – PGA Championship LIVE
Honorable Mentions:
MLB Advanced Media – MLB.com At Bat
NASCAR Digital Media – NASCAR RACEVIEW MOBILE ’13
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Live Extra
NeuLion & Big Ten Network (BTN) – BTN2Go
NFL Media – NFL Mobile from Verizon
The NFHS Network – The NFHS Network iPhone and Android Apps
Turner Sports – 2013 NCAA March Madness Live
EVS – Sporting Innovation’s Uphoria
Mobile App – News/Entertainment
Winner: Golf Channel – Golf Channel Academy App
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – ESPN SportsCenter App
MLB Advanced Media – MLB.com At The Ballpark
Spike TV – Bellator App
Sporting News Media – Sporting News Universal iOS app 3.0
theScore, Inc. – theScore
Turner Sports – Bleacher Report Team Stream
Network Sports Branding Campaign
Winner: ONE World Sports – ONE World Sports Network Branding
Honorable Mentions:
NBC Sports Agency – Premier League 2013
NBC Sports Group – Wednesday Night Rivalry
NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
ONE World Sports – ONE World Sports Network Branding
Turner Sports – NBA Opening Night: Justin Timberlake “Take Back the Night”
Turner Sports – NCAA Muse “Madness” Campaign
New Sports Show
Winner: FOX Sports – FOX SPORTS LIVE
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – Colin’s New Football Show
ESPN – SC Featured
Golf Channel – In Play With Jimmy Roberts
MLB Productions – Mission October
MLB Productions & MLB Network – The Next Knuckler
NBC Sports Group – FNIA Coach’s Clicker
On Air Technical Innovation
Winner: YES Network – YES View
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN Creative Works – SportsCenter – Iron Man III – Virtual Set
Turner Sports – MLB Truss Cam
Overall Social Media
Winner: National Basketball Association – NBA Social Media
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – #StephCenter
Marina Maher Communications – Head & Shoulders “Season of the #Whiff”
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Group
NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
Turner Sports – NCAA March Madness Real Time Highlights
Partnership with an Athlete
Winner: The Coca-Cola Company – Coca-Cola and Lebron James
Honorable Mentions:
Chandler Chicco Agency – EpiPen (epinephrine) Auto-Injector 25th Anniversary with Adrian Peterson
NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
The ACC Digital Network, Silver Chalice – The ACC DIgital Network Analyst – Clinton Portis
Turner Sports – Hardwood Classics Twitter Takeover
Turner Sports – Pain & Gain Lift Off
Weber Shandwick with Milk Processor Education Program – Chocolate Milk: From the Grid Iron to IRONMAN
Pro-Social Campaign
Winner: ESPN – 2013 Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research
Honorable Mentions:
AARP (United States of America) – Drive to End Hunger
Atlanta Falcons – Rise Up Atlanta
FOX Sports South – FOX Sports South Tribute to the Troops
M3 Creative – One World Futbol Project
Spike TV – Save Wrestling PSA
Turner Sports – #ThanksgivinginMay
Proprietary Asset
Winner: NASCAR – NASCAR Fuel for Business
Honorable Mentions:
Alianza de Futbol – Alianza U
NBC Sports Agency – Premier League Team Picker
Public Relations Campaign
Winner: NBC Sports Group – Sunday Night Football
Honorable Mentions:
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Group’s Premier League Launch Campaign
FOX Sports – FOX Sports 1 Announcement & Launch
EPIX – Multi-tiered Campaign To Create Debate on The Issue of Paying College Athletes
Radio Program
Winner: CBS RADIO – WFAN-AM/FM’s Boomer and Carton
Honorable Mentions:
CBS RADIO – WFAN-AM/FM’s “Mike’s On” hosted by Mike Francesa
FOX Sports Radio – Jay Mohr Sports
Univision Deportes – LOCURA DEPORTIVA
Retail Activation
Winner: The Coca-Cola Company – Coca-Cola Company 2014 NCAA March Madness Retail Activation
Honorable Mentions:
Anheuser-Busch – Bud Light Hotel
Perry Ellis International, Inc. – PGA TOUR Apparel “Win a Day with Jason Dufner” Campaign
Sesame Workshop/USOC – Team USA Sesame Street
Sports Blog
Winner: USA TODAY Sports Media Group – USA TODAY Sports’ For The Win
Honorable Mentions:
FOX Sports – Outkick the Coverage
NBC Sports Group – ProFootballTalk
Spot – 30 Seconds
Winner: ESPN Creative Works – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – BCS Bowl game TV spots
Honorable Mentions:
Atlanta Falcons – Falcons Locker Room
Big Ten Conference and TeamWorks Media – B1G Hockey Smile PSA
FOX Deportes – FA Cup
National Basketball Association – NBA Jingle Hoops
NBC Sports Agency – “All or Nothing”
NBC Sports Agency – Rockstar
Spot – Over 30 Seconds
Winner: NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle :60 Spot
Honorable Mentions:
M3 Creative – One World Futbol Project
Red Bull – Red Bull Media House YouTube Spot
Troika – Charlotte Hornets Brand Identity Reveal
Turner Sports – Justin Timberlake “Take Back the Night” Spot
Turner Sports – NCAA March Madness Muse “Madness”
YES Network – Yankees 2013 “Blessed” Promo
Studio Show
Winner: FOX Sports – FOX NFL SUNDAY
Honorable Mentions:
Golf Channel – Big Break NFL Puerto Rico
Litton Entertainment – Game Changers with Kevin Frazier Presented by EA SPORTS
MLB Productions – MLB Player Poll
Telemundo Media – Titulares Telemundo
Turner Sports – Inside the NBA
Universal Sports Network – Countdown to Sochi
Talk Show
Winner: Golf Channel – Feherty
Honorable Mentions:
FOX Sports – FOX FOOTBALL DAILY
FOX Sports – Crowd Goes Wild
Sports Illustrated – SI Now
Turner Sports – Open Court
Tune-In Promotion
Winner: NFL Network – Leon Sandcastle Campaign
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN Creative Works – Ride Along movie campaign: 60-second In-game spot
NBC Sports Agency – 2013 Sunday Night Football
Spike TV – Bellator Fire Tune in
Troika – MSG Promotional Campaign
Turner Sports – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Wings”
Turner Sports – NCAA March Madness Muse “Madness”
Use of Facebook
Winner: NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Group
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – This Is SportsCenter
FOX Sports – FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY & FOX NFL SUNDAY
Intersport – Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
OMD – State Farm (NBA) & State Farm (NFL)
Use of Integrated Sponsorship for Broadcast
Winner: Turner Sports – Pain & Gain Lift Off
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN Creative Works – Cheez-It “AmaZingZ Fan Zone”
ESPN Creative Works, in association with Chiat – Nissan Heisman House – “Flashback” Spot
Home Team Sports, a division of FOX Sports – Head & Shoulders’ MLB #WHIFF/Season of the Whiff Platform
Turner Sports – After Earth “This Place”
Turner Sports – Growns Ups 2 – Basketball
Univision Deportes – FANATICOS DEL FRIO
Use of On-Air Design
Winner: Red Bull – Red Bull Media House Signature Series Open
Honorable Mentions:
Fight Sports ID – Fight Sports
ESPN – Basketball Capitals presented by Turkish Airlines
MLB Network – On Air Design: MLB Network 2013 LDS Game Open – “A Field of Dreamers”
Troika – HBO Boxing Rebrand
Use of Technical Innovation in a Sponsorship
Winner: National Basketball Association – SAP and the NBA for NBA.com/Stats
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN Creative Works – SportsCenter – XBOX One Ultimate Highlight
Turner Sports – NCAA March Madness Real Time Highlights
Turner Sports – NBA Opening Night Social Vending
Use of Twitter
Winner: Pac-12 Networks – Pac-12 Digital-SnappyTV use for Twitter
Honorable Mentions:
ESPN – @SportsCenter
National Basketball Association – NBA Twitter
NBC Sports Group – NBC Sports Group
NFL Media – NFL Twitter
OMD – State Farm (NBA) & State Farm (NFL)
Turner Sports – Seat 140
Webisode series
Winner: Campus Insiders – The Seth Davis Show
Honorable Mentions:
CBS Sports – LT: The Life & Times Webisodes
NBC Sports Agency – Premier League Team Profiles
Pac-12 Networks – Pac-12.com’s Statisfaction
Sports Illustrated – Sports Illustrated’s 10 Greatest NCAA Tournament Moments
The Weather Channel – Unstoppable
Universal Sports Network – The Last 26
Website
Winner: ESPN – ESPN Digital Media
Honorable Mentions:
Big Ten Network (BTN) – TIEBREAKER: Cast Your Vote Promotion
FOX Sports – FOXSports.com
Pac-12 Networks – Pac-12.com
Turner Sports – NCAA.com
Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us: Pete Romas, 203.899.8483
